James McAvoy Considered to Help Revive ‘The Crow’

Yes, that remake of The Crow, a repellent to actor and director contracts (not to mention fan support), is still of interest to some higher-ups. Did you forget? It was last January when newcomer F. Javier Gutierrezlanded the director’s job, and it was, too, last January when any sort of new information was transmitted through the ranks of Hollywood. Given the circumstances — unknown helmer, no star, and no updates — a simple slip of the memory can be forgiven without hesitation.

But here we are, and BloodyDisgusting have learned that, now, the iconic character of Eric Draven is in the court of none other than James McAvoy, an actor who may fill a role once eyed (or considered) for Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, and Channing Tatum. It’s a big move for the project, though nothing is official just yet; reports claim his involvement is tied strictly to interest, so, to say he’s circling, though not at all incorrect, becomes a lame pun. (Sorry for slightly indulging.) Things ought to be more established on a screenwriting front (they’ve had time), and as there aren’t any reports to the contrary — something which would be of note — I’m expecting the Jesse Wigutow-penned screenplay to follow the James O’Barr comic and Alex Proyas‘ film: our lead is killed, comes back to life in a gothic guise, and gets revenge on those who took the life of himself and his fiancée.

While it’s hard to gauge whether this is actually a good career choice for McAvoy (yours truly is dubious), it’s as good a casting decision as this remake, in its various forms, has ever actually made — much less indicated. In him, they’ve found an actor with the right lankiness and potential for brooding that The Crow would require — not to mention, which those aforementioned actors don’t have in spades — plus, and most importantly, the out-and-out range this varied role should require. This is a good actor headlining a project that needs to win people over, and there are worse next steps they could’ve made.

What do you think of McAvoy stepping into The Crow? How does he compare to recent candidates?